Charlie Smith
Born
Mitchell Watkins

1842 (claimed)
Liberia or United States
DiedOctober 5, 1979
Bartow, Florida, US

Charlie Smith (died October 5, 1979)[1] was an American longevity claimant noted for claiming to be the oldest person in the United States at the time of his death on October 5, 1979, at age 137. Bone age tests after his death in 1979 revealed that Smith was between 99–105 years old when he died.[2]

History

Smith stated that he had been born in Liberia in 1842, kidnapped to the United States at age 12 and sold into slavery in Louisiana to a Texas rancher. Later research indicated that he had been born circa 1874 or even later. In particular, his marriage certificate, issued January 8, 1910, listed him as being 35 years old at the time.[2]

He was invited to view the launch of Apollo 17 in 1972 from the VIP area at the Kennedy Space Center. He amused reporters with his skeptical comments, asserting that "th' ain't nobody goin' t' no moon. Me, you, or anybody else" and, after the launch, "I see they goin' somewhere, but that don't mean nothin'."[3]

Smith died in Bartow, Florida, on October 5, 1979.[1][4] He was buried at Wildwood Cemetery.[1]

The first film, "Charlie Smith at 131" (30 minutes) was made 1973 and directed by Michael Rabiger for the BBC "Yesterday's Witness" series.

Smith's falsified "life story" (which he took great delight in relating to interviewers, visitors, or basically anyone who would listen) was dramatized on film in 1978 in a 90-minute episode of the PBS television series Visions titled "Charlie Smith and the Fritter Tree." In the story, Smith comes to America in 1854 on the promise that there are "fritter trees" there. Tricked into slavery, he later escapes, joins the Union army and, after the war, heads out west where he chases Billy the Kid and rides with Jesse James.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 McCarthy, Kevin M. (1995). The Hippocrene U.S.A. Guide to Black Florida. Hippocrene Books. pp. 29-30. ISBN 978-0781802918
  2. 1 2 McWhirter, Norris. (1981). Guinness Book of World Records. New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 0-8069-0196-9
  3. ↑ Chaikin, Andrew (1994). A Man on the Moon. Viking. pp. 495, 498, 501. ISBN 9780670814466.
  4. ↑ "Charlie Smith, Ex‐Slave, Is Dead; Believed Oldest American at 137". nytimes.com. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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